Kenya Condemns Shoe Thrown at President Ruto During Public Rally
Nairobi, Kenya – May 5, 2025 – The Kenyan government has strongly condemned an incident in which a shoe was hurled at President William Ruto during a rally in Migori County on Sunday. The act, captured in viral video footage, showed the shoe striking the president’s arm as he addressed the crowd.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura described the event as “shameful” and demanded the arrest of those responsible. “What message are we sending to our children if we normalize such behavior?” he asked in a statement on X, emphasizing the need to uphold respect for the presidency.
Reports from local media suggest that three individuals were arrested, although police have not confirmed this. Several Members of Parliament also denounced the incident, labeling it a serious lapse in security.
Dennis Itumbi, a senior presidential aide, downplayed the event, claiming it was accidental. He shared a different-angle video where a person was seemingly joking with a shoe before it flew toward the president. “It got out of hand,” he wrote on Facebook.
Despite the scare, President Ruto remained calm and instructed his security team not to harass the crowd. The official video shared on his social media edited out the incident but briefly shows a commotion among the audience.
The attack occurred during a development tour in western Kenya—a region historically aligned with opposition leader Raila Odinga. Though Odinga and Ruto signed a political agreement earlier this year to ease post-election tensions, discontent over economic hardships and high taxes continues to simmer.
Nelson Koech, a lawmaker from Ruto’s party, called the shoe incident an “affront to democracy,” warning that public safety must be taken seriously. “What if that shoe had been a bullet?” he said.
The event comes days after the targeted killing of an opposition MP in Nairobi, deepening concerns about the safety of public officials in Kenya.
